Majjal il-Forn (Maltese Baked Pork and Potatoes)

Name: Majjal il-Forn (Maltese Baked Pork and Potatoes)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h 50 min
Yield: 4 people
Cuisine: Maltese
Ingredients: 4 bone-in pork shoulder chops, about 2cm thick (about 1kg altogether); 1.2kg potatoes, peeled and cut into 7-8mm slices; 2 large onions, thinly sliced; 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced; 2 tsp fennel seeds, lightly crushed; 3 tbsp olive oil; 350ml light chicken stock, plus hot water as needed; Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Pork shoulder chops baked over thick potato slices and onions with garlic, fennel seeds and stock: a Maltese family oven dish.

Prep: 20 minutes Cook: 1 hour 50 minutes Servings: 4 people

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Watercolour illustration of Maltese pork chops baked over golden potato slices and onions with fennel seeds.

Ingredients

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Measures: 1 tbsp = 15ml; 1 tsp = 5ml. For local ingredient names and substitutions, see our guide to Maltese ingredients abroad.

4 bone-in pork shoulder chops, about 2cm thick (about 1kg altogether)
1.2kg potatoes, peeled and cut into 7-8mm slices
2 large onions, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 tsp fennel seeds, lightly crushed
3 tbsp olive oil
350ml light chicken stock, plus hot water as needed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

Layer the vegetables: Heat the oven to 190°C (fan 170°C). Choose a wide, deep roasting dish that holds the chops in one layer. Spread the onions and garlic across the base. Add the potatoes in overlapping layers, seasoning between them with pepper, a little salt and half the fennel.
Add the pork: Rub the chops with 1 tbsp oil, the remaining fennel and pepper. Add salt sparingly if the stock is salty. Lay the chops over the potatoes. Pour the stock down the side of the dish and drizzle the remaining oil over the exposed potatoes. The liquid should come partway up the vegetables, leaving the pork and upper potatoes exposed.
Bake covered: Cover tightly with foil and bake for 1 hour. Carefully lift the foil and check the potatoes with a knife. Add a little hot water down the side if the dish is becoming dry.
Brown: Uncover and bake for another 40-50 minutes, turning the chops once, until the pork is cooked through and tender, the potatoes are soft underneath and their exposed edges are golden. Check the thickest meat away from the bone reaches 75°C. If the top browns before the meat is tender, cover again and continue cooking.
Rest and serve: Leave for 10 minutes, then give each person a chop with potatoes, onions and some of the pan juices.

Choose Shoulder Chops

Shoulder chops have enough fat and connective tissue for this longer bake. Ask for evenly cut pieces so that they cook together. Lean, thin loin chops can dry out before the layered potatoes are ready and need a different cooking schedule.

The potatoes are part of the main dish. Keep their slices fairly even and use a wide pan: a very deep stack takes longer to soften. The cooking time is a guide for the specified cut; tenderness and a cooked centre are the final checks.

Keep Some Juices in the Dish

Check the liquid when you uncover the pan. The base should remain moist, with concentrated onion and meat juices to spoon over each portion. Add hot water a little at a time if needed, keeping the upper surface clear to brown.

Serve with a simple salad or Kapunata. For more family meals, use the Maltese Sunday lunch collection.

Leftovers

Refrigerate leftovers within two hours and use within two days. Reheat covered with a splash of water until piping hot throughout, then uncover briefly to brown the potatoes again.

A Maltese family oven dish

Meat baked with onions and potatoes belongs to Maltese home cooking and the tradition of taking a family dish to the village baker’s oven. This pork version uses fennel seeds and a little stock, so the lower potatoes soften in the juices while the top browns. Cuts and family seasonings vary.